Students and teachers at Thomas Haney Secondary school, Garibaldi Secondary school and Westview Secondary school in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Secondary school in Pitt Meadows will benefit from innovative learning concepts being put into action thanks to 15 new K-12 Innovation Partnership projects announced today.

Students in four high schools will use a module design approach to learn English Language Arts. Two or three teachers will be assigned multi-aged groups of students from grades 10 to 12. Teachers will choose areas of their students’ strengths and passions while developing curriculum. To participate in this method of learning, students must demonstrate the ability to work independently. Students will then select modules based on their interests to rotate into over the year. Students will be able to complete a module in Independent Directed Studies (IDS) creating cross-curricular connections.

This is just one example of the 32 Innovation Partnership programs now in place in public and independent schools throughout the province. In fall 2015, the first 17 projects were announced.

Selected projects reflect B.C.’s new K-12 curriculum and support teachers and students as they prepare for future success in our changing world. Other examples of K-12 Innovation Partnership programs include opportunities for young learners to:

• use technology to conduct self-directed scientific research
• participate in enhanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs
• develop creative and critical thinking skills.

These projects reflect B.C.’s new K-12 curriculum by supporting teachers and students as they prepare for future success in our changing world. The curriculum provides a flexible and innovative plan to help B.C. students gain the knowledge and skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.

Projects are selected by the Innovation Partnership Working Group (IPWG), a collaboration of education partners including the BC Teachers’ Federation, BC Schools Superintendents Association, BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association, the Federation of Independent School Associations of BC and the Ministry of Education.

Each project will receive $8,000 in financial support for teacher release time, research, and project expenses, plus there will be opportunities for project teams to collaborate with colleagues and explore how these innovative concepts could be adopted by other school districts.

The K-12 Innovation Partnership gives public and independent schools support to explore new programs and approaches to help students and teachers succeed.

For a list of new Innovation Partnership projects announced today, click here: http://ow.ly/XE08n

Details on projects announced fall 2015: http://ow.ly/XEqC2

Quotes:

Mike Bernier, Minister of Education –

“The world is changing and parents expect us to do everything possible to prepare their kids for future success. Innovation Partnership projects help us do that. It’s encouraging to see what is possible when education partners come together and focus on students. Schools, districts, teachers associations – they are all valuable collaborators. I’m looking forward to these projects in action.”

Marc Dalton, MLA Maple Ridge- Mission –

“When students love what they are learning, they want to absorb everything they can about the topic. This innovative program will allow students to pursue what they are passionate about and further supplement their studies. At the same time, schools across the province will be able to evaluate the impact of this program before deciding to implement it themselves.”

Doug Bing, MLA Maple Ridge- Pitt Meadows –

“Teachers will be able to develop specific modules they know their students are curious and interested in learning about which can lead to more engaged learning. The great part of these innovation partnerships, is that schools can learn from the various projects running across the province.”

Rod Allen, chair, Innovation Partnership Working Group –

“It is clear from all the applications that educators in B.C. are committed to providing students with an education that gives them opportunities to succeed. The goal of the partnership is to provide these schools with some support to innovate and share their success with the entire province. Our goal is to learn from these projects, evaluate their impact, and share information on those practices that have positive impacts on the teaching and learning environments. We will all benefit from these projects, and we look forward to working with each team.”

Quick Facts:

• The working group received 119 project proposals for the first two intakes of the Innovation Partnership.
• Proposals for the partnership were received from 43 school districts and 19 independent schools.
• The IPWG will be bringing teams from each project together twice during the year to discuss their innovations.
• The Innovation Partnership is a key component of the K-12 Innovation Strategy announced at the ‘BC’s Focus on Learning’ forum in January 2015.

Learn More:

Find out more about the K-12 Innovation Partnership: www.k12innovation.ca

B.C.’s New Curriculum: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/